Russia's Progress M-15M (47P) cargo craft lifted off atop a Soyuz-U booster from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on Friday, April 20 and arrived at the International Space Station two days later.

Prior to departing the station to be destroyed during reentry, Progress M-15M will take part in a docking test of the new Kurs-NA automated rendezvous system.

Jay ChladekMember

Posts: 2211From: Bellevue, NE, USARegistered: Aug 2007

posted 07-23-2012 01:26 AM
I know Kurs-NA a totally different system from the TORU, but I really hope this goes better than the last time somebody tried to redock a Progress.

I would be curious to see how the ISS crew were able to load this Progress to help ensure it isn't overloaded like the ones used on the ill-fated Mir redocking attempts.

Robert PearlmanEditor

Posts: 27328From: Houston, TXRegistered: Nov 1999

posted 07-23-2012 01:40 AM
If there wasn't another more recent example, the last Progress to be redocked was the second to be flown to the International Space Station, M1-4. It was re-docked to make room for space shuttle Endeavour's arrival on Dec. 2, 2000. From Wikipedia:

Following its undocking, Progress M1-4 spent 25 days in free flight, prior to redocking with the same port on 26 December at 11:03:13 GMT.

Both the original docking and re-docking of M1-4 used the TORU system after an initial Kurs failure. Both dockings were successful, however.

Jay ChladekMember

Posts: 2211From: Bellevue, NE, USARegistered: Aug 2007

posted 07-23-2012 05:21 PM
I wasn't aware of that initial test in 2000. Thanks. Sounds like what made those dockings a little different is at least the Kurs handled the rendezvous to a pretty close proximity before the TORU was used, unlike the Mir attempts where TORU was trying to be used for both a rendezvous and a docking.

Robert PearlmanEditor

Posts: 27328From: Houston, TXRegistered: Nov 1999

posted 07-23-2012 05:30 PM

quote:Originally posted by Jay Chladek:I wasn't aware of that initial test in 2000.

It wasn't really a test in so much as it was a logistical need to make room for space shuttle Endeavour to dock.

The only reason TORU was used for both dockings was because Kurs failed on the first attempt and the resulting antenna configuration ruled out using the automated system on the second approach.